Ellison Park

Park gate — open 7:00 am to 11:00 pm.

Operating dates — April 4 to October 13 (as published for the 2025 season).

Off-season use — not permitted.

Day-use pass reservation — not required at this park (this says nothing about fees).

Reservations — camping.bcparks.ca

Only about a 20-minute drive from downtown Vernon.

Traveling north on Highway 97, turn left on 25th Avenue (the main intersection in downtown Vernon). The park is 16km or approximately 20 minutes from this junction. Follow the blue and white VIP signs saying Ellison Park. Travelling south on Highway 97, turn right on 25th Avenue and follow the rest of the instructions above.

Located on the east side of Okanagan Lake to the south of the city of Vernon.

• Picnic areas
• Pit or flush toilets
• Showers
• Drinking water
• Accessibility information
• Playground
• Campfires

Camping — Yes, you can camp here and it is a lovely spot to pitch your tent or RV.

Day-use and camping areas — Ellison Campground, Ellison Trails.

Camping — Ellison Provincial Park also offers camping in the summer.

Picnic areas — Ellison Park includes day-use areas with beaches, 50 picnic tables, a group picnic area, and parking nearby. The two main day-use beaches, Otter Bay and South Bay, are accessed by a steep, coarsely paved trail with benches conveniently located at the switchbacks. A third day-use area, Sandy Beach, is ideal if you are visiting with pets. Otter Bay The picnic tables at Otter Bay line the crescent-shaped beach of coarse pink sand, providing excellent views of the lake. The day-use area is shaded by well-spaced Douglas fir trees. The picnic tables are on cement pads and the ground is pebbly gravel. There are two fire pits but no barbeque attachments for the tables. There is a pit toilet, a fountain tap, and a volleyball net. The bay is sheltered by rocky headlands making it a great spot for swimming. The swimming area is marked by buoys. South Bay At South Bay, the picnic tables sit slightly above the large sandy beach and are separated from it by a low rock wall. Ponderosa pines are interspersed among the tables, creating some shade. The area offers great views of the lake and the Fintry delta. The swimming area is marked by buoys and mooring buoys stretch towards Sandy beach. Sandy Beach This pet-friendly beach is accessed by a trail of hard-packed dirt from between campsites 11 and 12. The beach has coarse pink sand and is the smallest of the three beaches.

Pit or flush toilets — Ellison Park has ten flush toilets and four pit toilets. The washrooms have no hot water and no electrical outlets. There is a shower building in the campground, which does have electrical outlets and hot water (see ‘showers’, below).

Showers — There is a shower building in the campground, which has electrical outlets and hot water. There is also an outside cold-water shower at the beach area, to aid in the prevention of swimmer’s itch.

Drinking water — Cold spring water is available for cooking and drinking. Six taps are located throughout the campground.

Playground — There is a children’s adventure playground in a corner of the irrigated lawn flanked by campsites 51 to 59 and 62 to 71.

Campfires — Campfire rings are provided at each campsite. Firewood can be purchased in the park or you may bring your own. You can help the environment by minimizing the use of fire, keeping your campfire small, and bringing a camping stove for cooking. To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please do not gather firewood from the area around your campsite or anywhere else in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act ). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds valuable organic matter to the soil.

Accessibility information is available for this park.

Sandy Beach, a beach you can attend with your leashed pet, is accessed from the trail leading out of the campground between sites 11 and 12. Pets must be leashed at all times while at this beach. Outside this area, pets must be leashed at all times and are not allowed in other beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to the potential for problems with bears and other wildlife.

Pet Beach — Sandy Beach

Phone — 250-766-7972